


The Tie-Breaker

by Helyme



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 11:41:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13763373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helyme/pseuds/Helyme
Summary: Garrus doesn’t quite believe Shepard’s invitation, and thinks back over some well worn memories…





	The Tie-Breaker

The soft whoosh of the doors closing behind him echoed through his chest. He turned back towards the console, gripping it tightly as her words thrummed through his mind, electrifying, stamping out all reason until all he could think of was the way she had sauntered out that door, smirking as his words failed him.

_“It sounds like you’re carrying some tension, maybe I could help you get rid of it…”_

_“I… uh.. didn’t think you’d feel like sparring Commander.”_

_“What if we skipped right to the tie-breaker? We could test your reach… and my flexibility…”_

Just how many times had he imagined this exact scenario in his head? Replaying it over and over again until it didn’t end with her sprinting to the other end of the ship, or him flushed and tripping over his tongue like a goddamn teenager, or whatever other horribly awkward scene plagued his mind.

She wore that impish grin as she listened to his story about the recon scout, and the way he had seen that little flare of something - was that jealousy? - leap across her face made him hum with satisfaction.

And to think, all this time, she had felt the same?

Well, let’s be honest, not quite the same. There is no way she knew just how deep the passion for her ran through his veins. He doubted the same cold fear gripped her on the rare occasions he had to stay behind on a mission. He was aware of her every breath, every heartbeat, all of his senses magnified purely by her presence. 

“You idiot, Garrus.”

He sighed, reaching up to run his talons over his fringe, mandibles flared in a lopsided grin and a familiar dull ache settling somewhere under his chest. The way the corner of her mouth had tugged itself upwards and her eyes held his, tentative but still hard, as if she were daring him to accept. The way her scent still lingered long after she had gone, sweet yet spiced with something he couldn’t place, something that was just so utterly her it was unmistakable. 

He couldn’t imagine life without her, again, so soon after finding her, and with the Omega-4 relay looming over them how could he refuse her?

Dread sank into the pit of his stomach, quickly dousing the thrill that had illuminated him before. He leaned against the console again, the holoscreen twisting and warping in protest. How was he going to do this? His knowledge of humans was limited to his interactions with Shepard and her crew, was this a regular thing? It had seemed like she just wanted to blow off some steam, nothing serious, but was it? Some of the crew had longer lasting relationships, but some, like Jack, never seemed to want the same thing twice. He wasn’t sure if he could handle just a fling, not with her.

He gnashed his teeth in frustration. “You knew you were gonna have to deal with this shit at some point.” Pacing his way around the suddenly-too-small Battery, he was only vaguely aware of Tali’s voice crackling through the comm speakers.

“Garrus? Hello? EDI said you were in here, have you talked to Shepard yet?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m here. Sorry. I uh, I talked to her.” He huffed, grabbing the Viper and striding over to the weapons bench to start stripping and cleaning, fingers automatically running over the fine catches with ease. He had always felt better when he was doing something with his hands.

“Did she say anything to you? She seemed kinda… weird when she got back” she hesitated, and he could hear the barely constrained curiosity in her voice.

“It was almost like she was nervous about something? Like she could ever be nervous! And then she made a beeline right for the Battery, so I thought maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

“Oh nothing, never mind. Probably just me imagining things, or just being bad at humans or something. I mean, I can never tell if she’s joking with me or if she is being serious, so that doesn’t help.” Tali always had a tendency to babble if she was feeling awkward, and he had no intention of helping her along so he let her take her exit with a noncommittal grunt.

“I’ll… talk to you later Garrus.”

He thought he caught a hint of disappointment in her farewell, but quickly pushed it to the back of his mind as he sat in silence, methodically inspecting every inch of the Viper for any trace of imperfection before piecing her back together. Shepard had been nervous, Tali had said. 

Shepard.

Nervous.

Since when did those go in the same sentence.

That alone gave him a spark of hope. They had been flirting back and forth for months, and while he thought she just saw it as banter between friends, maybe all the rolled eyes and pointed looks they got from the crew were right.

With the Viper in pristine condition once again, and nothing left to occupy his attention, he scrubbed his hands awkwardly against his thighs before turning his gaze towards the console. He didn’t trust himself to be calibrating anything in this state, so with a groan he resigned himself to the too-small cot that served as his home away from home. 

The memories fluttered across his eyes as he settled uncomfortably on the hard cot, one hand behind his head in a futile attempt to provide some kind of support.

_She was careful, darting quickly out of reach before returning the jab to his side faster than he had thought possible. He regretted not wearing the thin workout shirt like she was, her talons had only grazed the sensitive exposed skin on his waist, but still a shiver pulsed through him at the contact and a low growl rumbled through the arena. The crowd whooped and hollered at the two sweating bodies circling each other like prey and strained laugh barked out from between her teeth._

__

_“That was a dirty trick”_

__

_“Well, Vakarian, maybe if you actually hit something for once instead of just thinking about it I wouldn’t need to entertain myself…”_

__

_The audience loved that, baying with laughter and bawdy cries but he didn't let her finish. He used her momentary distraction to lunge at her, shoulder barreling into her side while his other arm snaked around the other to cut off any escape. He tangled his legs through hers to steal her balance, plates hissing and scraping together as they crashed down onto the mat. He grunted his surprise as she gracefully folded underneath him, using his own size and momentum against him to slam him down on his back, landing a sharp blow to his mandible before dancing away._

__

_That sent an appreciative roar through the crowd and he quickly scrambled to his feet, limbs shaking with exhaustion. They had been at it for hours now, exchanging blows and close calls, neither of them ever quite having the upper hand over the other. Bets continued to fly back and forth as they restarted their pace around the circle, brows furrowed with concentration. She was panting heavily, and pinpricks of blue spotted her skin where his talons had gripped her. Her eyes still burned with the anger she always looked at him with but he knew that she was just as exhausted as he was._

__

_A hush fell over the crowd and it quickly parted, standing to attention as a tall figure made its way towards them. Relief flooded through him at the reprieve, but did nothing to sate the anger that continued to boil under his skin._

__

_“Commander Aptius” she barked, snapping upright with a hasty salute._

__

_“Orosis, Vakarian” he nodded, glancing at their shaking limbs and the sheen of sweat covering each of them._

__

_“Its 23:00 hours, if you haven’t finished by now, you're going to have to sort out your problems another day. Orosis, I expect your eyes on that ship and only that ship as soon as it enters our scanners, understood?_

__

_“Yes sir” she sputtered, heat flushing up her neck as Garrus suppressed a snort._

__

_“Vakarian, pack this up and do something about that cut, we intercept the Batarians at 05:00.″_

__

_“Yes sir”_

__

_Apitus gave the room one last approving nod, before turning and striding back through the unhappily dissipating crowd. Garrus glanced down to see a trail of blood seeping from the thin line across his chest. He hadn’t noticed the injury, and it didn’t bother him, not with his anger still hot in his veins. He bent and grabbed the nearest mat, heaving it onto the stack with an irritated snarl._

__

_She let out a loud exaggerated huff as she stormed out of the room, her subvocals rolling with disdain. The noise grated at him, and he took it out on another mat, violently tossing to the rest of its brethren like it had offended him personally._

__

_They had been at each others throats for months now, and it had only been amplified by their discovery of the Batarian pirate fleet. As the raid had drawn closer they seemed to irritate each other more and more, but with sparring off the table, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could put up with her._

__

_He grumbled as the last mat slammed onto the pile and stomped his way towards the crew quarters. He was so preoccupied he didn’t notice his low snarl echoing through the hallway, and jumped when the door to his left was abruptly flung open as he passed._

__

_“Who the fuck is making so much noise - oh.”_

__

_They stood in silence for a few moments, glaring at each other, his blue eyes boring into her grey ones._

__

_“Vakarian”_

__

_“Orosis”_

__

_More silence. He could feel the heat radiating off her, almost as powerful as the fiery gaze she pierced him with. Her eyes flicked down to the line across his chest and she shifted uncomfortably, her mandibles wavering as she involuntarily took in the rest of him as well._

__

_“Eyes on the ship Selen” he growled low and hungrily, taking a step towards her inhaling the metallic tang that suddenly permeated the air around them._

__

_The burn of his anger changed then, becoming a new kind of fire smoldering its way down to his hips and settling there as he took the moment she was distracted to appreciate the sharp curve of her waist and the blush creeping its way up her neck._

__

_“Shut up, Garrus.” she murmured, almost a whisper, unable to hide the hitch in her breath or the purr underneath it. The fire in her eyes was different now too, just as vibrant and filled with the same need as his own._

__

_He had never taken the time to really look at her, his irritation always clouding his thoughts. Her skin was a soft lavender grey, enhanced by the pearlescent sheen of her silvery plating. She was slightly smaller than he recalled, but lean and hard, all her sharp angles and edges embodying the flexibility and agility that heralded the best recon scout this side of Palaven._

__

_She took a step closer, almost closing the gap between them and tentatively brushing a single talon over his arm. Her touch sent shocks running up and down him, and his pulse quickened as he felt his plates shifting beneath him._

__

_That touch was all he needed. She gasped, eyelids and mandibles fluttering as he crushed her to him, face buried in the soft skin of her neck as he hitched her legs over his hips, locking her ankles behind him and leaving her to claw at the ridges of his neck and shoulders for support._

__

_He wasted no time moving into the tiny room that served as her quarters, only needing three long strides before pinning her back hard against the wall, a laugh bubbling its way out of her throat._

__

_“I didn’t know you could laugh” he muttered. He smoothed his palms out from where they had gripped her thighs, over her hips and underneath her thin shirt to find the soft unplated skin under her ribs. A breathless moan escaped her and she clutched him closer as his teeth nipped at her throat, grinding herself against him and matching his movements with her own._

__

_Her eyes glittered with amusement and lust as his breath turned haggard, spurred on by the pads of her fingers tracing the fine lines between plates trailing downwards, one hand finding the small patch of sensitive skin under his fringe._

__

_“And I like you better when you don’t talk.”_

He felt his neck flush at the memories and he rolled his shoulders, trying not to let the heat that burned a trail straight through his center settle as his thoughts returned to Shepard. This time, it was her fiery red hair he envisioned flinging open the door, and it was the soft curves of her hips that he felt pressed against him.

_Fuck, I’m gonna need that cold shower soon._

A quick vibration from his omnitool caught his attention, and his eyes snapped to it, quickly becoming disappointed when he realized that it wasn’t Shepard.

_Well you did ask her for some time, I’m sure she knew you meant more than an hour._

Instead, Mordin’s name glared up at him from within the orange glow.

_Garrus,_

_Approached Shepard regarding intimacy in Turian-Human relationships. Have included diagrams on Human anatomy, physiology, erogenous zones, positions comfortable for both. EDI can supply vids for reference. Oils and lotions also available if needed, risk of chafing otherwise._

_Do not recommend Levo ingestion of Dextro tissue, may cause mild to severe anaphylactic reaction. Otherwise, should be physically compatible._

_Enjoy_

Frozen to the screen, his heart hammered through his chest as he read it again, heat rising through his throat and mandibles fluttering.

Spirits, she was quick. Well. Looks like that cold shower will definitely be required. Later. After he dug some of the Dextro friendly beer out from the back of the fridge. And done his homework.

Wouldn’t want to keep her waiting.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Please feel free to give me any feedback, this is the first thing I have written for fun in like 10+ years and it was only supposed to be a little 100 word thingy to get back into it!! I kinda left some stuff in there for me to work with later if I want to continue it, so I hope it all works !~~~


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